pick up discarded foreign goods; get unexpected windfall
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to scavenge items discarded by foreigners; to get an unexpected windfall
dialectOriginally a dialect term with historical and cultural context. In modern usage, it often metaphorically refers to getting a lucky break or picking up something valuable for free.
Jiě解
fàng放
qián前
，
yǒu有
xiē些
pín贫
mín民
zài在
zū租
jiè界
fù附
jìn近
jiǎn捡
yáng洋
lāo捞
r儿
。
Before liberation, some poor people scavenged discarded items from foreigners near the concessions.
Tā他
zhè这
cì次
tóu投
zī资
chún纯
cuì粹
shì是
jiǎn捡
yáng洋
lāo捞
r儿
，
méi没
xiǎng想
dào到
zhuàn赚
le了
zhè这
me么
duō多
。
This investment of his was a pure stroke of luck; he never expected to make so much money.
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Bié别
zǒng总
xiǎng想
zhe着
jiǎn捡
yáng洋
lāo捞
r儿
，
yào要
jiǎo脚
tà踏
shí实
dì地
de地
gōng工
zuò作
。
Don't always think about getting something for nothing; you need to work down-to-earth.